We Help people Develop More Bandwidth for Complexity

Teams and individuals need to become more effective, deliberate, and committed to facing the adaptive challenges of an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and demanding work environment.

You and your people bring us your strategic challenges, tough dilemmas, and stubborn obstacles. We bring energizing and purposeful workshops, training and coaching. Together we illuminate and untangle those problems and develop leadership and management practices your people can actually deploy.

On Sept 27th, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee served as a potent reminder that in times of social upheaval - when the temptation to throw up our hands and give up is often at its strongest - acts of true leadership have the power to influence the road ahead.

Dr. Ford does not hold a position of formal authority in American society. She is not an elected official. But on Sept 27th, she exercised real leadership. And if we care to, there is quite a bit we can learn from her example. Here are five insights, five ‘aha!’ moments, I had after taking the past week to process and reflect upon her actions.

One of the most important things you can do when you feel the pull of workplace intimacy is acknowledge that you’re human. As Ron Heifetz and Marty Linksy point out, “you cannot stay alive by simply putting a silencer on yourself.” Every human has needs, and the question here is not a matter of ‘if,’ but ‘where.’ Where do we find agency and control in our lives? Where do we find meaning and purpose? Where do we turn for love, intimacy and affirmation?

Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. The AfD Party in Germany. Hugo Chaves in Venezuela. Nigel Farage and the Brexiters.

Donald Trump may be monopolizing the headlines, but the rise of Populism is a worldwide phenomenon. Politicians, both on the left and right, promising easy solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our times – all while calling into question our democratic institutions.

What is Populism, exactly? Simply put, it is a political approach that foments anger towards established institutions. It can be “paired” with any number of ideologies, from fascism to libertarianism, but the common thread in all cases is an effort to energize a vocal base of supporters by framing all opposition as corrupt, failing, fake, and even downright evil.

Did you make a resolution this year? If so, how are you doing with your goals for 2018, now that we’re a couple months in? If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably struggling. Maybe you’ve even been at this for several years now, without success… does that sound familiar?

At KONU, we’re committed to growing and provoking leadership because we recognize that leadership isn’t just a job title or a political appointment. Leadership is an art, and like every art, it is the practice of a lifetime. Our team combines decades of leadership development experience with research-driven experiential learning methods to help individuals and groups successfully tackle complex challenges. And today, we’re adding another arrow to our teaching and learning quiver: the KONU blog.

Konu

Growing and Provoking Leadership

We challenge people to make the changes they need to make and provide the supportive practices to make it possible

We help the people in your organization exercise leadership and emerge as leaders from any position in the organization chart.

Teams and individuals will become more effective, deliberate, and committed to facing the adaptive challenges of your our increasingly complex, fast-paced, and demanding work environment.

Your people bring us their workplace challenges, dilemas and stubborn obstacles. We bring energizing and purposeful workshops, training and coaching practices. Together we illuminate and untangle those problems and develop leadership practices your people can actually deploy.